chillaxin

I was a participant in this NZ MTB Rally along with my team from Hawaii. I met Matt and his crew and connected particularly well with his big brother who put in a lot of time and commitment to help Matt complete this goal. He was essential to Matt's success for sure... Okay, I gotta tell you that this event took everything I had to be able to complete this journey from maximal exhaustion, attacking insects, equipment failure, to big crashes and I still can't fathom how he was able to complete this event completely self supported. The amount of pedaling he did was double maybe triple the entire field, the lack of sleep and minimal access to calories and hydration still baffles me. I started the each day with a 10+ pound pack filled with necessities and ended the day empty while still using the support feed stations. The fact that he finished the event is completely amazing but he didn't just finish the guy also WON the entire event which again is deserving of a documentary for sure. I will definitely support this venture and hope that others will as well. By the way, the NZ locals that supported/worked the event was unbelievable, so I want to give a special shoutout to Alistar (4x4 bus owner), Andrew Jordan (bus operator), Glen Buckley (event assistant) for making this event special and for also representing NZ at its finest. I will definitely be going back for more off-road adventures in the near future... Mahalo Nui Loa, Team Hawaii

@letsgoridebikes18: Yup agreed, that's why I said "but at the end of the day we will never know because all said riders never had to race each other with all variables being equal..." But if you really take into account longevity and winning against everyone of the best riders listed... Minnaar fits that shoe...

@vinay: Spot on... The issue is actually comparing Males & Females together and riders from different generations, so it will always be speculation with no definitive result. However, I think the better way to do this by way of science and actual video time laps comparison and see if said riders listed where to be compared on the same course each of their winning run. For example, If ACC and Rachel were to be compared on Leogang or Mount St. Anne on their individual winning runs we could see their speed side by side and we would most likely see Rachel besting ACC. On the same note, compare Gwin vs Minnaar's winning runs on similar courses we would probably see Gwin besting Minnaar. Again, all kinds of subject debates could be had from bike technology, tire tech, suspension tech, etc... but at the end of the day we will never know because all said riders never had to race each other with all variables being equal... not to mention the male and female differences debate....

Humanity needs to wake up real fast or it will all end faster...

@blowmyfuse: Spot on... I do social work with troubled teens and that is the problem with the world today... People (men, women, kids, no matter) don't face equal consequences for their negative actions. There is no learning if there isn't understanding of ones actions, positive or negative. Therefore, comprehension never happens without facing reality. At the end, prisons, jails, and laws were not created for the BEST of humanity, it was created for the REST of humanity.

@mountainmike911: It is so hard to educate ignorant and closed minded people on how basic this concept is. Almost every form of bike racing came from the trickle down effect of a motorized bike. BMX came from motocross/supercross, Cross Country (XC) came from dirt bike trail racing, Enduro MTB came from Enduro dirt bike racing + Downhill racing. Most downhill race courses have a shuttle lift or shuttle truck bringing people to the top. Very few people will do it in the most purist form like 18 year old Matt Fairbrother of New Zeland that rides his bike everywhere including to a race. I can go on and on but like I said, most humans can't even comprehend that current weather disasters are being accelerated by human decisions/actions from the past and present.

Interesting that you have that idea... I've been using football/soccer turf shoes (with small rubber cleats) whenever I am riding and trail working at the same time for that same reason, traction off of the bike while moving up the trail and carrying tools, bike, etc... So, I would use wide platform flat pedals and have no problems at all with that combination. Like you mentioned, I too believe that for every idea thought of there are five other people with the same idea and it's the first one to market with a legitimate product. However, I have been first to market on several occasions but it was the second and third that made the money primarily because I spent all my time and resources educating on the WHY and they came in on the I have the similar idea and here you go stage.

The smile and grin on his face @ 5:22 is why I still love to ride at almost 50yrs. The addiction is real. Good on ya braddah...

@fiftyshadesofbacon: I might be able to help you. I run a bike touring business in Hawaii and am in the process of updating and reworking my fleet inventory. So, contact me directly and we can talk more.

As a father of a 14yr old daughter that rides (only child) it is a amazing time to share this passion. On top of it, she is a ripper that can hold her own among the adults. She started around 5yrs old riding/racing BMX, which has given her a well rounded set of skills to handle the mountain. As for the Suntour products, they actually make really good suspension especially in the higher-end side of their lineup. I would say that X-Fusion and Suntour are similar in that their top-end products are really good bang for your buck...